Switching mechanism in connection with motor cars



Aug. 4, 1925.

F. PORSCHE SWITCHING MECHANISM IN CONNECTION WITH MOTOR CARS Filed Jan; 28, 1925 dit Patented Aug. V4, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAIMLER-MOTOBEN-GESELLSCHAFT, 0F STUTTGARTPUNTERTRKHEIM, GERMANY,

A oororta'rlon or GERMANY.

SWITGHING MECHANISM IN' CNNECTIGN WITH MOTOR CARS.

' application mea January es, reas. seran no. 5,351.

T 0 aZZ whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FERDINAND PORSCHE, a citizen of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, residing at 'Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Wurttemberg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in a Switch- -ing Mechanism in Connection with Motor Cars, ot which the following is a speciication. x

The object of my invention relates to a switching mechanism for actionating electric sound roducers and tor the blinding of searchlig ts 'of motor cars and more especially of that kind of switching mechanism, which is operated by means ot .a ringswitch arranged on the hand steering wheel.

The feature of my inventionl consists there-in, that ll employ said ring-Switch for operating the contact both, of the Sound producer and of the blinding device and that the closing of the one of said contacts is being ed'ected by the pressing down of said ringen/itch, whilst the other one is closed by lifting of same.

lt is another feature of my invention that the contact-brackets may also" serve as brackets or supports ot the ring-switch.

The advantages derived therefrom consist in the following:

rlhe devices or means required are disposed and constructed insuch way that the motorist is permitted to concentrate his entire attention to his main task, viz: to the steering of the motor car, and that he is relieved from Apaying additional attention to the operation of the accessory devices above mentioned.

The accompanying drawing shows one form of execution or my said invention in which Fig. l represents the new arrangement in its totality and schematically,

F ig. a top view of the hand wheel and Fig. 8 a section through the hand steering wheel.

a designates the hand steering wheel on which the ring-switch b is arranged and by means of which both, the electric sound producer 2 and the blinding device of the search light are operated. A

For realizing the one aim of the invention v'm: the operating of the sound producer, the ring b is pressed down closing thereby the contact b,-c. The current is then liowing from the battery through the sound producer, the resistance t, the throwover-switch` 6, line 7, the one Vguide-pin f to the contact-ring c and from here through the switch-ring b, which is in electric con nection with the mass of the motor car, back to the battery.

Parallel to the resistance 4; there is disposeda second conducting line l.

For the purpose` of producing great distance sounds and v*in order to avoid thereby a weakening of the current by the resistance t, the switch 6 is thrown over so that when the contact ll-c is kclosed the line l is being connected by means of the line 7 and the pin f with the contact-ring o.

' For attaining the second object of this invention viz: to blind the Search lights, the ring-switch is lifted and the Contact bz-al is closed.

The current is then flowing from the battery through the electromagnet of the switch 5, and through the line 3 to a sleeve t' which sleeve is surrounding the insulated bolt or pin 7e, said sleeve t being in electric connection with the Contact d.

When thecircuit is closed the current is flowing through the contacts bz--d through the mass ol' the motor car back to the batter s appears from F ig. 2 the contacts l-c and Z-d are disposed in the hollow space of the ring-switch b. The ring-switch is supported by springs gh. These springs by means of the contact-ring c are pressed between the insulating rings 7c, said insulating rings being pressed againstthe contact-ring d. rlhe contact-ring 'c above referred to is screwed to the bolt rlhe purpose of providing said springs git consists therein to keep the ring-switch in inoperative position when the same is neither lifted nor pressed down (see Fig. 2),; whilst the effect realized by the ring-switch 5,--0 resides in the fact that the contacts ot the sound producer and those bz-d serving for the blinding of the search-light immediately close their circuits it said ring-switch at any point of its circumference is pushed down or lifted.

The ring-switch may however just as well be pushed down at one side and vlifted at another side, whereby it is attained that sound signals are emanated and that the blinding is at the same time introduced.

According to the invention the operation both of the sound producer and the blinding of. the search-light is considerably simplified by the fact that the motorist need not remove his hand from the steering wheel; he only needs to concentrate his attention to the steering of his motor car.

I claim:

1. In a circuit closer, a vertically disposed insulated conductor member mounted in a steering wheel, the upper end of said member constituting one contact, a contact ring surrounding' said member and insulated therefrom, a hollow annular member slidable on said insulated member and insulated therefrom and from said contact, and havin a contact cooperating with the upper end o said insulated member to complete one circuit and having a contact spaced from the first named contact and adapted to contact with said ring.

2. In a circuit closer, a vertically disposed insulated conductor member mounted in a steering wheel, the upper end of said member constituting one contact, a contact ring surrounding said member and insulated therefrom, a hollowY annular member slidable on said insulated 'member and insulated therefrom and from said contact, and having a contact cooperating with the upper end of said insulated member to complete one circuit and having a contact spaced from the iirst named contact and adapted to Contact with said ring, and springs within said annular member for holding the contact in inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FERDINAND PORSCHE.

Witnesses:

J oRnAN BAUER, ERIK W. MAGNUsoN. 

